Don't paint the nosing or the part under the balusters (not sure what you'd call that when it's on edge of landing/floor like that, not at open end at bottom of stringer). it won't wear well. Give the site guy a call, maybe he can help. Even if you have to *pay* him/somebody to fix the wall, he should be able to give you an idea of what's under and for how far (the whole length?). I have no idea why they chose the moulding they did for the top of your stringers. But if you pull it all off and find you need 1" cove on the right (going down) and 3/4" on the left, you can do that - just want to make sure the cove doesn't stick out past the edge of the stringer, a little bit right at the bottom is OK (even a little thinner is OK, though then I'd be tempted to sand the sharp edge of the stringer to round it off), everything's easy with paint, you can hide a lot. It just looks strange to have that big bead sticking out past the edge. Choose some moulding that looks similar to the top of your baseboard. I'm using a piece that has the same profile as my baseboard, but since my stringer is so thick and this stuff is thin, I'm laying it flat on top instead of standing it up. Still trying to figure out a way to transition to the baseboard at the top of the stairs. Finally took some pics of what I'm thinking of Lovely gap - over 1" from wall to edge of stringer Colonial "stop" molding (not thick enough so have to lay flat instead of laying it against wall - my cousin was going to finish off the end with a mitred return, just tape holding it right now) But that still leaves the problem of transitioning to the thinner, lower baseboard, and a gap b/t the stringer and the wall So I'm thinking of running the stop molding vertically as well - he'll just have to figure out the angle to join the 2 pieces of stop (and of course cut the baseboard so it fits snugly against it). Anyway, even though you don't have the gap (?) I was thinking you could do the same sort of thing, though if you could find thick enough molding, you could run it with the bottom sitting on the stringer and the back flat against the wall. It doesn't have to be cove or the stop, it could be any kind of molding you like as long as it doesn't stick out past the stringer (if it does in some spots you could sand it flush). But it should transition nicely to your little piece of baseboard or whatever you're going to run over to the door trim.

I don't think a utility sink is a necessity, but it is convenient when you need one. Our last house had one in the laundry room. We had babies and young children then, so I was soaking a lot of clothes in there;) I used it for the mop and to clean up after painting. It was conveniently located right next to the washer. I took the sink out of the laundry room here to make more room for hooks and benches and gear. There is a utility sink in the workshop in the basement, and I haven't used it much, but I am glad it is there. Cleaning up after painting outside is a great idea and I have seen that done, but I live in WI, so that is only possible for half the year.

Whether his wife ends up using it or not, Mike has himself a nice man cave. I think changing the position of the ladder is a good move--going up, there is now a feeling of spaciousness as you approach the loft instead of the wall, there's one less open side and the ladder isn't in the middle of the small room, the desk is better on that side, and continuing it as an L under the stairs now seems more useable. It's a nice one-person room for the activities he has mentioned that he does, and his wife will probably end up doing her art work in the basement. Anne

That railing is definitely not compliant with any current building code, and I agree it's very unsafe. I think the idea of zip-tying a barrier to it is good, but I'd use something more durable than window screening (and easier to attach). One product that comes to mind is plastic deer barrier fencing, like this: https://www.amazon.com/Barrier-Protects-Shrubs-Animals-Protected/dp/B000A16T7M/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=deer+fencing&qid=1597344519&sr=8-3